Skuld and the Ghostbusters
by HotelKatz
Summary: an accident with the Space Doubler sends Skuld into... an Alternate Universe! (Not really a crossover, but veers close to it. Will change title when I think of a better one.)
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer : I do not own _Ah! My Goddess_ or _Ghostbusters._

-oOoOoOo-

Skuld was slowly waking last thing she recalled was trying to improve the space expander she built so long ago. But during a quick test, it had begun to spit sparks until... until it exploded.

"I think she's safe, Lind," Belldandy's voice said.

 _'Lind? Didn't she go back to heaven with Peorth?'_ Skuld thought as she opened her eyes. Her vision was so blurry, she had no idea whose room she was in. Then she realized the futon she was on felt really off. ' _And why is everyone speaking in english? Are they trying to keep what they're talking about from Keiichi a secret? Why use an earthen language then?'_

"Do you have any proof, Belldandy? I would like to deal with some quick understandable facts for once, rather than feelings and hunches or facts that need twelve degrees to even contemplate," Lind's voice replied. For some reason, Skuld was easily able to tell that Lind was worried, perhaps scared a little.

 _'I guess the explosion was worse than I thought...'_ Skuld thought with a slight smile.

"Well, until she wakes up, we won't know for certain," Urd's voice said, sounding nonchalant.

"There was an explosion and she was in the middle of it. Excuse me for getting paranoid, but in our line of work, that usually means bad things!" Lind's voice said with the sound of a fist hitting a hard wood table.

At that time, Skuld's vision was starting to clear a little. She began to cheer up when she saw that to her left side was a large amount of electronics. Then Skuld heard something that shocked her.

"Both Belldandy and Lind have equally good points. We can never be too careful, especially around possible doppelgangers. However, being antagonistic would likely create the very threat we wouldn't want to deal with," said a voice that sounded just like Skuld's, but older and more emotionally distant.

 _'What... the... hell?'_ Skuld thought before she heard someone cough a little to get her attention. To her right was Peorth, but something both looked and felt off about her.

Instead of the leather underwear-ish clothing she normally wore, Peorth was wearing a knee length skirt, a white blouse, and pantyhose.

"Oh good, you're awake. You seem to be the type who likes sweets, so I got you some ice cream," Peorth said, holding a spoon and a bowl of chocolate ice cream with little bits of brownies in it. Her hunger and the need to recharge her energy overtaking her, Skuld let out an eager gasp before she snatched both the spoon and the bowl from Peorth and began to pound down the ice cream like it was her job.

Never once did Skuld notice the lack of goddess marks on Peorth's face.

As Skuld ate, Peorth looked away and motioned for the others to come closer. Skuld's vision was able to clear up quickly as she finished off the ice cream. Only when she was done, did she notice the group around her.

Urd, Lind, Belldandy, and the Skuld doppelganger were all wearing the same thing: Pilot jumpsuits, kneepads on their elbows, and from what little the young goddess could tell, something technological on their backs.

"Hello, We're the-" Belldandy started before Skuld gestured towards her doppelganger in a panic.

"Who are you?! Why do you look like me?!" Skuld asked, trying to resist the urge to Skuldbomb her.

"Well, I am-" The Skuld doppelganger began before Skuld noticed something and visibly calmed down. When Skuld began to laugh, The Skuld doppelganger asked, "Care to explain what's so amusing?"

"I thought for a moment you were a doppelganger of me, but then I noticed your lack of goddess marks. I can't believe I almost freaked out at seeing a human version of me..." Skuld said before laughing a bit more. "Funny prank, Urd, finding a human who looks like me..."

She stopped when Belldandy said, "Do you know who she is, Urd?"

"First time meeting her, though I like her more than Miss Robot over there," Urd remarked, gesturing to the human Skuld. Human-Skuld seemed to be annoyed by Urd's words.

"What do you mean, 'first ti-'" Skuld angrily asked before she noticed something very important.

Urd didn't have her goddess marks. Neither did Belldandy, Lind, Peorth, or her counterpart. Skuld did the only thing that came to mind.

She fainted.

Human-Skuld took out her P.K.E meter and began to scan Skuld.

"Really, Skuld?" Belldandy asked, a bit annoyed.

"She had a negative emotional response and our first scans of her showed that she is a class seven paranormal entity, though with her abilities either still dormant due to her age, possible seals, or even the possibility that they and she are still developing," Human Skuld answered. "So I want to take the opportunity to study her. A few cubic centimeters of brain tissue should suffice"

"No, Skuld, leave her skull alone! And anyway, aren't growing up and developing the same thing?" Urd asked as she put her hands behind her head.

"Not in this case. Preliminary scans show that she was initially getting power from an unknown source, which has since been cut off. Since then, secondary scans have shown a change in her body on a molecular level that is notably similar to physical aging. One interesting thing to note is that she was able to gain energy from the ice cream Peorth gave her, suggesting she might be able to exist solely on it, provided that she manages to consume enough… which doesn't seem very likely," Human-Skuld answered as she continued to wave the meter over the young goddess.

With an annoyed look, Urd asked, "And you got all that from the P.K.E. meter?"

"Well, I do like tinker and upgrade our equipment in my spare time," Human-Skuld answered with a blush.

"Am I the only one worried about the class seven sleeping in Skuld's bed? Maybe I'm just paranoid, but the last few class sevens we met either wanted to destroy us and the city, or used us to destroy the rivals!" Lind said, pointing at Skuld.

"She's a young girl, Lind. Besides, if she's anything like our Skuld, she's a good girl," Belldandy replied.

Before Lind could say more, Urd began to walk away towards the arcade games in the room and said, "And besides, She spoke like she knew us. Which means we gotta keep her safe and sound. Or else we gotta deal with angry goddess versions of us."

As Urd began to play on the pinball game on the far side of the room, Lind pondered about Urd's words. Lind sighed before she headed towards the stairs leading down and said, "I guess you're right. I'm going to go work on the Ecto-1 for now. Bell, Peorth, you're good with kids, so you deal with her for now."

"I'm going to run a few simulations on the data I've gotten from my divine counterpart. Besides, my presence might further cause her to panic," Human-Skuld said as she went to stairs leading upstairs. "I might be able to modify my Dimensional Inverter to be able to contact the divine counterparts of ourselves and set up a portal to send… Well, for the lack of better terminology, the child goddess version of myself back."

Belldandy looked at the empty bowl of ice cream and then at Peorth before she asked, "Well, we might be stocking up on more ice cream."

"I have a few gallons, so you'll have to make a quick run after she wakes up," Peorth said before she and Belldandy smiled and nodded to each other.

Without the two noticing, Urd looked back and stared at the sleeping Skuld for a few moments.

-oOo-

Once again, Skuld was waking up, muttering, "What an odd dream..."

"If it's the one where you were surrounded by human versions of the people you know, then I'm afraid to tell you that it's not a dream. The good news is that Dr. Irons is trying to find a way to contact your relatives to get you back home!" Belldandy's voice explained.

Skuld's eyes opened up quickly. Unlike before, her vision was clear. She was on a mattress with a bedframe. There were also three other beds nearby. The room's walls were made of plaster, not paper. To the goddess's right was a large assortment of various electronics, with several computers hooked up together.

By each bed was some stuff. One bed had some novels and history books in a nearby stand, mostly on military history. The second bed had a plushy of some marshmallow man with some sailor garb on it, with a stand that had some romantic novels, a few books on the paranormal, and an electronic teapot. The third bed's stand had gossip magazines, romantic novels, a few books on legal procedures, and a bottle of liquor. The bed Skuld was laying on also had some books on the paranormal, but also ones on various sciences and technology.

With some panic, Skuld looked at the people beside her. Both Belldandy and Peorth were sitting nearby. Across the room was Urd, who was still playing pinball.

To Skuld's delight, Belldandy was offering a bowl of neapolitan ice cream. "From what Peorth told me, you liked ice cream. So have a bowl or two to calm down."

Skuld eagerly accepted the bowl of ice cream and began to hork it down.

Before Belldandy or Peorth could say anything, Urd spoke up. "Hey, sweet tooth! Yeah, you! The one with the ice cream!"

"Yeah?" Skuld asked, annoyed at being talked to while she was eating ice cream. She was a bit saddened when she saw that whatever technological object that was on Urd's back was gone for the moment.

"Are you a god?" Urd asked as she looked back for a moment, making Belldandy a bit frightened, unbeknownst to Skuld.

Pointing at her goddess marks, Skuld let out an annoyed, "Well duh! I'm a goddess second- class, type one, limited, Norn of the Future... or at least I am in the reality I come from.."

With a smile that aggravated the young goddess, Urd replied with, "Just curious!"

Skuld then faced Belldandy and asked, "What was that about?"

Belldandy took a deep breath and answered, "We deal with the paranormal on a daily basis. You kind of qualify as one of them. But something about you... I want to help you get back home."

Skuld was silent for a moment before she smiled. "Thanks, but who are all of you?"

Before Belldandy or Peorth could explain, Urd answered, '"Well, we call ourselves ghostbusters. As the name indicates, we bust ghosts. But usually when we get hired to. It's a rare case when we capture any specter pro bono.

Skuld began to shrink back a little upon hearing that. She even began to shiver a little. She would have covered herself with a blanket, but that would have risked getting fibers into her ice cream.

"There's no need to get scared. Any ghost on the premises, we have them locked up in our containment unit in the basement," Belldandy explained. Skuld calmed down for the most part, though she still was a bit uneasy.

Deciding to focus on any topic away from ghost, Skuld asked, "So who is Dr. Irons and how are they going to contact my sisters?"

Peorth was the first to answer. "Dr. Irons is the one who looks like an older you. She's going to use the Dimensional Inverter to try and contact your home."

Skuld made a little noise to indicate she was interested in what the object was and what was its original purpose.

"Well, the Dimensional Inverter's purpose is to detect Paranormal Kinetic Energy surges from cross-rip phenomena or fallout from dimensional breeches," Belldandy explained. Then with a proud tone, she added. "Dr. Irons invented it."

"Too bad it catches fire a good deal of the time," Urd commented.

Belldandy looked at the back of Urd's head and retorted, "It's a work in progress!"

To which Skuld added, "Yeah! So stop it, Urd!"

Urd merely chuckled a little bit to herself. _'Going by how shortstuff acted, Goddess-me and her probably fight like cats and dogs. Gonna have to be real careful around either of them.'_

"So back to what we were talking about. Dr. Irons is checking what preliminary data she was able to get from the P.K.E Meter when she scanned you. When you're up to it, we can do a more thorough examination, so we can probably send a signal to your sisters," Belldandy said.

Skuld smirked. "No need. I can go home with my transportation medium! Just give me a cup of hot water and I'll be home in a jiffy!"

Before Peorth or Belldandy could get up, Urd walked away from the pinball game as she said, "I'll get it. Game was getting boring, anyhow."

Within moments, Urd came back with a cup of Hot water and put it on the floor.

"Well, it was nice meeting you all! I'll be back soon to let you all know I made it back safely!" Skuld said before she used the water to create a hole in space. Belldandy took out a P.K.E. meter and began to scan as Skuld dived into the hole.

After the hole closed, Urd clapped her hands and said, "Well, that was wants to take bets to how long before she comes back?"

-oOo-

In the transportation medium space where Skuld had entered, she began to look around as she muttered to herself, "Alright, I bet big sis is really worried about me, so I should get... back... I don't recognise anything in this area... Wherein the multiverse am I?"

Where the usual surroundings in the dimension where Keiichi lived in were large splotches of watercolor that faded into the next color as they swirled around Skuld. this tunnel's colors were three solid colors in a specific pattern. They were purple, green, and yellow, in an unchanging plaid pattern.

Skuld instinctively went back to the human versions of her sisters. After she appeared out of the cup of hot water, Urd uttered, "So how did the... meeting..."

Skuld ignored her as she threw herself at Belldandy and hugged her for support before beginning to cry.

Urd looked at Peorth as she pointed at the crying goddess. Peorth merely shrugged.

When Skuld managed to calm down, Urd asked, "What went wrong?"

"I wasn't able to tell where I was in the multiverse... The tells on the walls of my travel medium were too different..." Skuld answered with a few sniffles.

"And with the multiverse being a potentially infinite place, finding a specific dimension would be like trying to find a specific needle in a haystack of needles the size of Texas..." Belldandy explained as she continued to hug Skuld.

"Ah...So, anyway we can narrow the stack to about the size of Times Square?" Urd asked as Peorth nodded.

Before Belldandy could answer, Skuld turned her head a little and asked, "Texas? Times Square? What are you talking about?"

"You're currently in New York City, sweetie," Peorth answered. "Where were you living before you came here?"

"Nekomi, a-a city in Japan..." Skuld answered, sounding like she was about to have a slight panic attack.

"I've been to Japan. Alright place, but never did like having all the ATMs inside of the bank. I did like the arcades, though," Urd said.

"Maybe we should let Dr. Irons know. Perhaps the information about Skuld's travel medium would come in handy?" Belldandy asked as she let Skuld go to let her stand up.

"You guys go do that. I'll go back to my desk," Peorth answered as she headed for the stairwell leading down remaining three headed for the other stairwell.

"Hey, kiddo," Urd said, getting a glare from Skuld. "Our Skuld is pretty with machines. How good are you?"

Skuld paused before a big grin appeared on her face. Covering her mouth with the back of her hand, she uttered, "Why, when it comes to machines of any kind, I'm simply the best! Ho ho ho!"

Urd looked at Belldandy who looked a bit surprised at Skuld's moodswing. Urd said, "Well she's cheered up. Maybe she can make our Skuld's stuff not explode?"

"Hey! They don't explode all the time!" Belldandy countered, looking a bit upset.

"Right. Just some of the time," Urd retorted with a smile to show she wasn't serious. At the moment, Urd had reached the top step, so she called out, "Yo, Skuld! Sleeping Beauty woke up and claims to be a tech-head like you!"

Hunched over a Car-sized device that had more dials, knobs, and levers than Skuld had ever seen before was her human doppelganger. Without looking back, Human-Skuld replied, "Really? I wonder what other interests we share?"

"Well, she's here right now if you wanna ask," Urd said as she gestured to the goddess.

"Hello, Skuld. I am Doctor Skuld Irons. I think for the sake of simplicity, I should be referred to by my last name," The human Skuld said as she and her divine counterpart walked towards each other.

However, Dr. Irons was a bit surprised when Skuld walked passed her, as the latter was too enthralled by the dimensional inverter.

"I gotta see what makes it tick..." Skuld muttered, her hands reaching out to the machine. She was taken out of her reverie when a hand grabbed her shoulder and held her in place. Looking back, Skuld angrily asked, "What gives?!"

"You can look at the blueprints, as I refuse to let you even operate it for the moment," Dr. Irons answered.

"I bet you that I can improve it and contact my big sis to bring me home!" Skuld quickly replied as she tore herself away from Dr. Irons and glared at her.

"I have no doubt that probably is what might have to be done, but I prefer to have knowledge of what is done to my inventions and how to replicate it if need be," Dr. Irons said. "So we'll use the blueprints and see what we need to do."

"That and avoid calling any elder ones. I don't wanna go through another Cathulu event," Urd grumbled.

Skuld looked confused for a moment before she recognized the name. "Wait, you're telling me you all dealt with Cthulhu and stayed sane?"

"Technically, Cathlulu. A red colored version, but still just as powerful. All we did was seal it away using a roller coaster, our proton packs, and a thunderstorm," Belldandy cheerfully added.

Amazed at the thought of humans going against even a minor elder god and winning, Skuld looked around at the trio for a few moments before she said, "I guess it couldn't hurt to look at the blueprints and talk about what improvements I'd like to make... If I can also look at the blueprints for the proton packs as well."

Belldandy looked at Dr. Irons and asked, "Please? She isn't asking to have a proton pack. She might even come up with an upgrade that'll allow us to hold demons!"

"If you're going that far, might as well let her see the trap schematics," Urd added as she put a hand on Dr. Irons's shoulder.

Narrowing her eyes, Dr. Irons replied with, "Maybe. It depends on the potential upgrades for the Dimensional Inverter."

"Well, it can't hurt to let our stuff have more POWER!" Urd said before making some grunting noises. Realizing that everyone was staring at her, she said, "What? No one else saw Home Improvement? Had a guy who liked to upgrade stuff, referred to it as giving it 'more power', than grunting a little in victory for a little bit? It was on Friday nights?"

"I help hold a poetry slam at a teashop around that time on my days off," Belldandy answered, a bit sheepishly. "The coven that comes by does have some good tea recipes."

"I tend to discuss what others consider theoretical physics with a group of like-minded… at that time on a messageboard," Dr. Irons said.

"Let me guess, it's not theoretical in our line of work?" Urd asked. Dr. Irons nodded.

"You guys are weird..." Skuld muttered.

"Eh, different strokes for different folks. I'm going to see what Lind is doing," Urd muttered as she headed downstairs. "And maybe talk her outta doing something stupid."

Skuld looked confused upon hearing that. "Urd trying to prevent someone from doing something dumb? This really is an alternate universe..."

Belldandy put her hand on Skuld's shoulder. "Maybe you can tell us a few things about yourself while we all look over the blueprints?"

Skuld nodded.

-oOo-

Urd found Lind leaning over the Ecto-1's engine and inspecting it.

"How's things, Hunter?" Urd asked as she walked over.

"Still annoyed about how you all are treating that class seven upstairs with kid gloves," Lind muttered without looking at Urd.

"Well, Maybe it's because she is a kid, but also we all know that young brats of any species tend to have overprotective guardians. You know how hard Belldandy would fight to protect any child from a ghost. So imagine how a fully active Paranormal Class Seven Belldandy would treat us if she discovered we hurt her younger sister. Death wouldn't be an escape, if our line of work taught us anything," Urd explained as she leaned against the Ecto-1.

A shivering Lind was silent for a good few moments. Deciding to change the subject. Lind asked, "Why are you down here?"

"Oh, made a reference to a TV show and no one got it," Urd replied as she looked at the ceiling.

"Maybe you should go out on Friday nights, instead of watching TV all night," Lind said, as she stood up and looked at Urd. "From what I heard, you were a real party girl a few years ago."

"Yeah, but I got tired of being the ' _accidental_ ' target of grabass by the nearest drunk," Urd said with some anger in her voice.

"Could always come with me to the opera," Lind asked. There was some amusement in her voice, but also some hope.

"Well, I'm game for the constant line of tragedies that operas known for... Particularly the romantic ones," Urd answered as she turned towards Lind with a smile of her own.

"They're not all tragedies, you know," Lind retorted with a frown.

"Just a good deal of them," Urd said with a slight laugh.

Unknown to all within the firehouse, a grim dog-like entity was observing Skuld from another building rooftop.

-oOoOoOo-

Notes from HotelKatz: and here is my entry for the Skuld's world 2016 contest!

Yes, it's a canon character going into an AU, one pretty much Ghostbusters. I've wanted to write a actual crossover at one point. Then i wanted to try my hand at writing an AU, where the goddesses were human and Ghostbusters. When I was trying to decide what to choose for the contest, I remembered the AU thing. I just hope you readers enjoyed this enough to wait for the next chapter.

As for what continuity this will be using… Whatever will work for the plot.

Nena Camadera of the Goddess Relief Office Forum helped out with a few lines in the part where she talked about Skuld's connection to Yggdrasil and aging, making it more scientific-sounding.

elgordo of the Goddess Relief Office Forum was the betareader of this chapter.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer : I do not own _Ah! My Goddess_ or _Ghostbusters._

-oOoOoOo-

"So what's our Skuld and Belldandy doing with our guest?" Lind asked. She held out a hand and asked, "Three-eighths."

"Looking over the Dimensional Inverter and seeing if they can alter it into a phone," Urd answered as she looked through the tool box. After finding it and handing the wrench to Lind, she added, "Hey, if they do get it working, wanna see if either Heaven or Hell delivers pizza and which one is better?"

Lind stopped working on the Ecto-1 and stared at Urd for a moment before she asked, "Listen to yourself! Are you serious!?"

"Nah, it's a joke…" Urd answered with placating gestures before a thought hit her. "Well, unless we can get the pizzas for free…"

"Urd, you remember what Morgana the demon said after we helped him undo that chicken wish. Out of all of us, you're the most likely to go to-" Lind began before Urd put a finger to her mouth. (1)

"Look, it's not like my divine counterpart has a mother that's the Queen of Hell or anything, okay? And even if she was, what would she do with me? Use me as a tool against my double to make her jealous? Record some sappy message like, 'I love you Mommy!' to get under her skin?" Urd snorted.

"And how often have you talked about such ridiculous things, only to have them happen?" Lind smugly asked as she crossed her arms.

Urd stared at her before walking away. "I'm gonna go see what the eggheads are hatching up. Maybe if we're lucky, it's a good sense of humor."

Lind sighed before she closed the hood of the Ecto-1 and cleaned her hands.

-o-

As Urd arrived, Skuld said, "Aha! You need to insulate these parts and add some energy tanks to siphon away the paranormal kinetic energy!"

"But it doesn't absorb or run on paranormal kinetic energy, it only detects it," Belldandy replied as Urd sauntered over. Urd noticed that Skuld had a new carton of ice cream with her, as well as a few empty ones nearby.

"While it's still a form of energy, paranormal kinetic energy tends to have its own rules. Aside from hooking up PKE Traps to the dimensional inverter, any idea how to make those energy tanks?" Dr. Irons asked as she pored over the blueprints of the Dimensional Inverter.

Skuld crossed her arms and looked down as she pondered. "Huh… The trap idea probably is the best one… But if you let me look at the plans for the Neutrona Wands, I might be able to come up with something…"

"Like what?" Urd asked as she leaned on the table.

"Like adding a cartridge system. If a powerful entity comes into this dimension and the Dimensional Inverter gets enough samples of its energy, you can then store the energy into specially-made cartridges, so your proton packs can bypass any shields the entities might have and even do more damage than normal!"

Belldandy, Dr. Irons, and Urd all looked at each other.

"I kind of like the idea of the shield-bypass. How many times has a really powerful ghost been able to block the streams with a wave of their hands and tentacles?" Belldandy asked.

"Too many in my book, but I'm not looking forward to adding more weight to the packs. What are they at currently, ninety-five… hundred pounds?" Urd muttered as she covered her face with a hand.

"Fifty-eight point seven pounds at the moment. Skuld, I'll think about it. Also, would it be possible to upgrade a few of the traps in a similar manner?" Dr. Irons asked as she looked at Skuld. Both women still found it a bit unnerving to notice how much they looked alike.

"M-maybe… Though I think designing a new trap would be better…" Skuld answered.

"Or a new sled for the trap. Probably one big enough where we can only bring one at a time," Dr. Irons muttered as she looked away to ponder and rub her chin. After a moment or two, she looked back at Skuld and said, "Tell you what. I'll give you some paper and you create a rudimentary design for the cartridges. If I like them, I'll let you look at the blueprints for the traps and the Neutrona Wands."

"What Cartridges?" Lind asked as she appeared, while Dr. Irons gave skuld some paper and pencils.

"Well, the ice cream goddess thinks she can create some add-on that'll allow us to hit really powerful ghosts, even if they put up a shield," Urd answered.

Lind paused before she muttered, "Would've come in really handy against Stay Puft…"

"Dr. Irons and Belldandy said your name was Lind Hunter. The Lind I knew was a Valkyrie, one of Heaven's finest warriors," Skuld said. "Do you have any military experience?"

"Well, I was in the Service for a while…" Lind answered with a grin. "Though in a few years, I'll be getting my doctorate. Can't be the only one doesn't have one here."

"So what's this about a… 'Stay Puft'?" Skuld asked, not noticing Belldandy's nervous, guilty look.

"She means the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. He's the guy on the Ice Cream box. We fought a 100 foot version of him," Urd answered as she gestured to Skuld's ice cream.

As she looked at the carton, Skuld muttered, "You guys fought him? Did a ghost possess a giant statue?"

"More like: ' _ **choose a form and I will change into it to destroy you**_ ' by some bozo entity named Gozer," Urd explained with a shrug, even doing her best to make a deep gravelly voice. Belldandy slowly began to hug herself. "It also claimed to be 'the destroyer' and 'the traveller'. So, no different than any other overly obnoxious tourist."

"So who was the dummy that made Gozer into the marshmallowy god of destruction?" Skuld smirked and crossed her arms, sending a look towards Urd. Though Belldandy's pained expression went unseen by Skuld, to Urd it was all too visible.

"Me. Since there been a lot of nasty ghost attacks, I felt like New York needed to be cheered up with the biggest damn marshmallow roast known to man or god," Urd quickly said, smirking right back at Skuld.

Belldandy started to slowly rock from side to side in distress.

Being familiar with her eldest sister's tells and currently dealing with someone who didn't have eons' worth of lying practice, Skuld became suspicious upon seeing that the Urd in front of her was lying, and it was about something that her actual sister would never even claim about. Pointing at Urd, Skuld said in a confused tone, "You're… You're lying… Why?"

Losing her smirk, Urd answered, "Because I think you'd be happier with it."

Skuld's hands curled into fists as she began to shake. Before she could rant, Belldandy said, "I… caused Gozer to become the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. When dealing with a god who wanted us dead, I… kind of did my best to stick with happy thoughts. Didn't think it'd backfire on me…"

Skuld turned around and stared at Belldandy. After a moment, the young goddess did something no one expected. She hugged Belldandy and said, "Oh Onesama! _Anything_ anyone had chosen woulda been perverted by this Gozer into a killing machine. Dogs and cats, I'd say your choice backfired on him!" (2)

"Thank you for that, Skuld. Um... 'Oh nay sa ma'? What... ?" Belldandy replied as she inwardly debated about hugging Skuld back.

"Ah... it means 'most honored elder sister'. Sorry. It sounds better in Japanese. It's... it's what I call my big s...," said Skuld, trailing off and reddening.

She released Belldandy from her hug.

Pointing at Skuld, Urd said to Lind, "Think she'd yell and bitch at anyone else?"

Lind looked at Skuld for a moment before nodding at Urd, who put her hands behind her head and sighed, "Maybe this will get Bell to stop blaming herself..."

Dr. Iron coughed to get everyone's attention. "Miss, since you are a goddess, do you know anything about Gozer?"

Skuld shook her head before she said, "Never heard of them before. Maybe if you let me see some pictures or any kind of books about Gozer, I might know."

"Possible false name?" Belldandy asked.

"If that's what Gozer did, then at best, they were a god with a second class License and a large amount of followers. First-class licenses aren't allowed to lie," Skuld explained. She rubbed her chin as an idea came to her, "Unless Gozer was a demon trying to ruin the credibility of the gods or maybe under some psychosis…"

"Sound like you use a similar system to the Japanese driving-" Urd began before the alarm rang. "Duty calls!"

After watching the four go down the firepole, Skuld had a strong urge to slide down it as well. So she did, but fell off when she reached the ground. Lind, Belldandy, and Urd ran over to see if she was okay. Peorth was quickly making her way over, while Dr. Irons was slowly walking over with a slightly concerned look on her face as she took out a P.K.E. Meter and turned it on.

After seeing that the goddess was unharmed, Urd said with a smirk that annoyed Skuld, "Don't worry, kid. Nobody's first time was ever perfect."

Skuld's anger grew when Belldandy uttered in a surprised and angry tone,"Urd!"

As Skuld shook once more in anger, Urd walked over to the Ecto-one. Before Skuld opened her mouth, Urd quickly pulled out one of the proton packs from the Ecto-one. That quickly calmed down Skuld, who got all starry-eyed at the proton pack.

As Skuld slowly walked over to Urd, Dr. Irons held up the sheet of paper she got from Peorth's desk and said, "We got a rowdy class three floating vapor! Let's go, folks!"

Quickly putting the pack back, Urd said, "Sorry, kiddo. We'll let you worship the proton backs after we get back."

Then Urd and the others quickly got into the Ecto-one and drove off. As they did, Skuld took notice of all the gadgets on top of the Ecto-one, uttering, "So…. cool…"

Peorth chuckled a little, muttering, "I guess it still is…"

That got Skuld's attention. "What do you mean?"

"I've seen it so much, I guess I've forgotten how cool it is…" Peorth answered as she was clicking away at something on her computer.

"So… what are you doing?" Skuld asked as she wandered over.

"Playing freecell. So I take it you're really into the proton packs. Hope you don't plan on taking one apart," Peorth replied, not looking away from the screen.

"Why? It's half the fun and a good way to learn about them!" Skuld said back, holding her hands out in a dramatic manner.

"They're unlicensed nuclear particle accelerators that can put out over '100 sieverts per second' worth of 'fun'," Peorth admonished. "And you might not know it, but I've been told that amount of radiation can kill a person very quickly without the proper protection." (3)

"Oh..." Skuld muttered. She then kicked some dust as she added, "And they probably took all the packs with them as well…"

"There's two around here. One for testing add-ons and one for me to use for-" Peorth said when an alert appeared on the screen. "-Situations like _right now_!"

As Peorth stood up and picked up a proton pack that was behind the desk, she said, "Skuld, get back here with me!"

"Why?" Skuld asked as she looked at Peorth and put her hands on her hips.

As she finished putting the proton pack on, Peorth said, "Every once in awhile, some ghosts get the idea to send a few of their own to attack the firehouse. I don't want to risk you getting hurt."

Before Skuld could say anything, There was the sound of ghastly laughing and a distorted voice saying, "That's so cute, it makes me wanna puke!"

A bunch of floating, scarred, decomposing heads flew into the firehouse. One head had mouths instead of eyes. A couple had their eyes and mouth shut. One was with sewn shut with string, the other pinned with nails. Some seemed animalistic, like they were a literal dog person or bear person. Some had their human teeth replaced with fangs. One or two were on fire. There was also a number of shrunken heads The one that merely had extra mouths spat slime onto Peorth.

"No,no,no,no,no…" Skuld muttered, seeing the ghastly heads fly about and laughing. As she tried to step away from the heads, Skuld wished her sisters were with her. After a few moments, Skuld ran and hid under the desk, the only spot that seemed ghost-free for the moment..

After rubbing the slime off from her face, Peorth looked down and saw Skuld huddled under the desk. Looking up, Skuld asked, "Are you… okay? Are you still you?"

"Yeah, I'm still me. Barring a few exceptions, most ghost slime is more like their sweat or spit or… At least that's how Dr. Irons expl… plained it..." Peorth answered, realizing what she was saying. As her left eye twitched, Peorth then looked up and said in an oddly calm tone, "Okay... time to bust some heads"

Skuld heard a brief sound, like a mechanical whir sound getting louder. Then a different noise, one more like a large, constant crackle of energy.

As Peorth tried to hit the heads with the proton stream, she muttered, "Really need to remind the girls to either reduce the kickback or the beam wandering…"

When she managed to catch three in the stream, Peorth tossed a trap onto the floor. Some of the other heads tried to rush her, but Peorth managed to turn around, hitting them with the proton stream. The ones she had originally hit were flung free of the stream, but hit a wall.

"Huh… So she did finish that upgrades… Let's see if she finished one for the trap," Peorth muttered before she stomped on the trap's button, slammed the paralyzed ones near the trap, and cut off the stream. There was a burst of light, but there was no ghost head nearby the trap.

At once, the ghostly laughter stopped and was replaced with snarls and growls. Looking around, Peorth saw the heads slowly circle around her and close in. With a smirk, Peorth fired the proton stream and ran forward, hitting the ghosts in front of her. However, those heads were freed once she passed by them. All of the head chased after Peorth, who turned around and stood by the trap.

She swung the Neutrona wand about, doing her best to not hit anything flammable or near Skuld's hiding spot. In mere moments, all of the flying heads were caught by the proton stream. As the heads screamed and struggled to escape, Peorth slammed the ghosts into the wall. After turning around, she began to walk backwards and began to slam the heads into the ground near the trap. Each slam forced more ghosts into the trap. Once all the screams stopped, Peorth said, "You can come out now, Skuld. All the ghosts are trapped."

"Trapped? Trapped in what?" Skuld asked, still scared.

"In a tiny uncomfortable box. In a few minutes, I'll be putting them into the containment unit. Wanna help?" Peorth asked in a comforting tone as she bent down to look at Skuld.

"Will I have to see the ghosts?" Skuld asked, wondering when will she get home.

"No. Not a single specter," Peorth answered.

"Give me a few minutes…" Skuld muttered as she slowly climbed out from the desk. As she did, Skuld noticed that Peorth had her arms open for a hug. The goddess sighed before she hugged Peorth. She preferred her sister, Belldandy, but she needed any kind of comfort at the moment.

-oOoOoOo-

Notes from hotelkatz: And another chapter. Still a bit slow for plot progression in my eyes, but things will slowly pick up next chapter. I guess I'm still setting things up or something.

elgordo was the betareader. Nena Camadera was also a great help. I consider them another betareader of this chapter.

Heck, if it weren't for Nena, there wouldn't be a busting scene in this chapter. All you guys would have gotten was Skuld hearing it. So they deserve a big round of applause for making me write the scene.

Not a misspelling or mistake. This isn't Morgan from the _Ah! My Goddess_ Movie. Morgana is a demon from the Ghostbusters cartoon. The episode is ' _Chicken, he clucked_ '. It's one of my favorite episodes. It's one of the sillier ones and it was written by J. Michael Straczynski.

(2) The current version of the forgiveness scene was written by elgordo. The original version was written by me and was a mere two to three lines where Skuld forgave this Belldandy.

(3) elgordo added the numbers and millisieverts part to the unlicensed Nuclear Particle accelerator line. After reading LukeGreen's review, we changed it from '10,000 millisieverts' to '100 sieverts per second'.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer : I do not own _Ah! My Goddess_ or _Ghostbusters._

-oOoOoOo-

Peorth and Skuld headed down the stairs. Barely halfway down, Skuld noticed all the various half-built technology lying about and let out a gasp of wonderment. Peorth smiled when she heard it and said, "Just letting you know, the oversized toaster oven is the containment unit."

Spotting the large machine, Skuld mentally berated herself for not spotting it. As she and Peorth headed towards the containment unit, Skuld said, "I have just a few questions: What's the frequency k…."

"If they're anything specific about the containment unit, wait until Doc Irons gets back. All I know about it is small stuff, like how to put the traps in and what gauges to keep an eye out for," Peorth interjected when they reached the small door that had a red light above it. "Now to put away the boneheads."

Keeping her distance, Skuld waited.

"First you open the door, stick the trap in, shut the door, pull the lock-in lever, then pull the teeth lever," Peorth explained as she performed the steps. When she was done, the machine made an ominous hum for a few moments, making a chill run down Skuld's spine. Peorth seemed nonchalant. The chill vanished from Skuld when the hum stopped, the light above the door turned green, and there was a bell ding. "And that's how you clean the traps."

As Peorth took out the trap, Skuld asked as she flailed her arms a little and stomped a few times, "W-why go through all that hum? I was getting a bit worried that the containment unit was going to go boom!"

Peorth shrugged as she answered, "That's another thing you'd have to ask the others. Personally, I chalk it up to the 'it let's you know that the containment unit works' excuse."

Skuld sighed before she shook her head. "That sounds like the dumbest excuse ever…"

"True, but it's not really my place to decide. I just work here," Peorth replied as she began to head to the stairs. Skuld began to follow her until she spotted something on the shelves. So with an excited gasp, Skuld ran over to some shelves where parts of some robots were on. Peorth stopped and looked at Skuld. "What?"

"Robots! I didn't think you guys built any!" Skuld quickly said. Then she realized that the robots were disassembled and asked in an annoyed tone, "Why aren't they in one piece?"

Walking over to Skuld, Peorth began. "Well, the silvery angly one was built by some ass who stole blueprints from us. It was called 'Robobuster'. The yellow round one was called 'Ecto-X' and built by Doc Irons. Both ran into the same problem." (1)

"And what was that?" Skuld asked, confident in her ability to fix the problem.

"They could be possessed by ghosts and had no way of fighting it off," Peorth explained. It took Skuld a moment before she began to slowly step away from the shelves. "Don't worry, they're not possessed by ghosts any more."

Skuld looked at the disassembled robots with a look of mixed pity and determination for a few more moments before she walked past Peorth and up the stairs. Peorth followed after her and asked, "I know that look. Doc Irons has it whenever she thinks she can solve a problem on her own."

"Maybe. I need to double-check certain seals and how they react in this dimension. Can't do that now," Skuld answered before she walked over to the couch near the TV, on the other side of the the room. "Is it alright if I watch something?"

"Knock yourself out," Peorth answered as she sat at her desk, smiling a little at how Skuld cheered up. Skuld flipped through a few channels until she got to some show about people using remote-control robots to fight each other in an arena. ' _So if it's robots, then she likes it. Better keep that in mind…'_

-o-

it was little more than an hour later when the Ecto-1 came back. Skuld muted the TV and turned around.

As the group got out of the modified ambulance, Peorth asked, "How'd it go?"

"Turns out it was a class five possessor with enough power to animate a number of dolls. Lucky for us, they were all flammable," Lind answered, sounding a bit weary.

"Anything happen while we were out?" Belldandy asked.

"Some ghost heads came by. They gave Skuld a fright, so I busted them," Peorth answered as Doctor Irons and Belldandy were taking the proton packs out of Ecto-1 and began to inspect them. Lind headed upstairs in a rush. "So what dolls?"

"Skuld? How're you feeling?" Belldandy asked, looking over at the goddess. Still staring at the TV, Skuld gave a thumbs-up.

"As for the possessed toys, Cabbage patch dolls and My Buddy dolls," Doctor Irons answered, sounding either annoyed or tired. "The place was a former store that had been closed until recently."

"Speaking of which, who wants to watch one of the _Child's Play_ movies?" Urd asked with a smug grin. When Doctor Irons, Lind and Belldandy all glared at her, Urd merely laughed before she headed towards the TV.

Seeing that Urd was headed her way, Skuld pointed at her and said, "I got here first! IF you want to change the channel, you'll have to beat me in a game first!'

Waving her hand in a dismissive manner, Urd said, "Nah… I don't feel like competing. Besides, Bell and Irons probably would argue that we want to learn what shows that a goddess watches."

As Urd sat down in the chair, Skuld looked around. The others in the room nodded when she looked at them.

As Skuld's attention returned to the TV, Belldandy quietly asked, " Does she look bigger to you?"

"Like she's about 13 years old… maybe 14. Enough to prove that my readings were right," Doctor Irons answered. Taking a moment, she said, "Peorth, are we out of ice cream?"

Before Peorth could answer, Skuld exclaimed, "Ah! I was so into the robot show that forgot I had a bowl!"

Looking down at the bowl she held, Skuld sadly muttered, "And now I have melted ice cream…."

"Still a few cartons. I'll have Urd make a run to get some more later," Peorth said as she continued to play her solitaire game. Pointing to a notepad, "As for calls, not many. Most sound fake, but I could be wrong. Did get a call about a school wanting you guys to show up for some school event."

Looking at Belldandy, Doctor Irons said, "You go check. I'll finish up here."

Belldandy nodded before she walked to Peorth's desk and picked up the notepad. As she read the list, she muttered, "Let's see… Giant turtle… Big-headed aliens...Cars moving on their own and talking…. Eugh… Another gaggle of ghosts possessing toilets… What _is_ it with ghosts and toilets?"

"Didn't Elvis die on the crapper?" Urd asked. After making a few minor repairs to the proton packs, Doctor Irons began to put back all but Urd's.

"Urd! I'm eating!" Skuld angrily exclaimed as she glared at the platinum haired human.

"Besides, I honestly doubt that the king would lead an army of ghosts," Belldandy replied, "and if he did, it'd be with more class than toilets. As in using mockups of either back-up singers or background characters from his movies."

"Urd, can you stay here? Lind, Bell, and I will go check out the calls," Doctor Irons asked as Lind came back downstairs.

"I don't know. Sitting around, getting paid to watch TV. I might not be able to handle the pressure... " Urd sardonically answered as she looked back.

"How come Urd gets the easy job and I don't?" Lind asked as she stomped towards the Ecto-1.

"Because you're a woman of action and I am not," Urd answered with a smile.

"Alright, we'll go check out the calls. Urd, remember what we talked about on the way here," Doctor Irons said before the trio got into the Ecto-1.

"Have a nice time, Skuld! When we get back, We'd like to do an examination and ask you a few questions! Nothing harmful!" Belldandy said as she leaned out the driver's seat.

"Okay! Come back soon!" Skuld replied back, taking the time to look and wave at Belldandy.

After the Ecto-1 drove off, Urd noticed her proton pack had been left behind. With a smirk, she asked, "Hey, Ice Cream Queen. I'll let you fiddle around with my proton pack if you let me have the TV."

"I thought you said I could have the TV?" Skuld asked with narrowed eyes.

"I said I didn't feel like competing. This is bribery. Clear difference and a win-win for us both! You get to play around with the proton pack that I said you could and I get to watch a movie!" Urd answered as she gestured towards the TV and the proton pack by the closets. Peorth gave Urd the stink-eye.

"What movie?" Skuld asked as she put the remote out of Urd's sight.

"Eh… What Mystery Science Theater 3000 shows us?" Urd asked.

Before Skuld could ask about it, Peorth answered, "Guy trapped on satellite watches old movies with two robots he built because an evil scientist wants to weaponize bad movies for…I dunno… evil science?"

Skuld's eyes lit up upon hearing that… that is until Urd said, "You should know that the robots are puppets controlled by humans. So please don't, y'know, use your goddessy powers to blow us all up because the show not what you expected?"

Skuld got dejected before she muttered, "They're never real robots..."

All of a sudden, Skuld shook, making Urd ask, "Something the matter?"

A blushing Skuld asked, "Is there a bath nearby?"

"There's a shower on the second floor. Why?" Urd asked.

Blushing some more, Skuld answered, "I need to go through… a purification ritual. It's embarrassing to talk about it with mortals."

Urd nodded as she replied, "Say no more. I understand."

A relieved Skuld raced for the shower. After a few minutes, Peorth asked, "So what was it you understood?"

"Not much, but she did make a few Japanese references earlier. Wouldn't be surprised if the cleansing thing was based on something from Japan," Urd answered as she began to flip through the channels.

"She's gonna be mad with you when she gets back, you know…" Peorth said as she typed away.

"The robot combat marathon ended before she left. 'Sides, I think she'll enjoy MST3K," Urd replied. However, when she stopped on a certain channel, she smiled. "Hey, what do you think her reaction will be towards _Back to the Future_?"

-o-

Outside, what looked like a bipedal toad wearing a trenchcoat and fedora hid in an alley, muttering as it watched an angry teenanger being forced into the back of a police car, "Gone. Oh yes, gone a long time. Find another. Oh yes. Another."

They paused when they suddenly felt a great, but sleeping, power within the city. "Powerful child…"

Their lips twisted into an evil sneer as they finished, "Means powerful Grundel. Oh yes, can't let get away. Can't let escape."

The Grundle began to head towards the firehouse, making sure to stay within the alleys and the shadows.

-oOoOoOo-

Notes from hotelkatz:

elgordo was the betareader.

I've heard of the new ghostbusters movie coming out, the one that's a genderflipped one. I even watched the trailer.

I honestly don't have high hopes for it. I get more of a 'Michael J Fox _Frighteners_ ' feel from the movie, than _Ghostbusters_. After we read one of the early leaked info stuff about the movie, I honestly talked it over with my sister and said they should have fought an expy of Elizabeth Bathory than the ghost of a serial killer. Yes, it means redoing some elements from the second movie from a certain light, but enough things can still be done, where it is its own entity in the Franchise.

Of course, I'll still watch it to judge it on its own merits the best I can. I'm even willing to admit that I'm slowly becoming some old guy that likes how movies were done in his day in a certain light. But I will not say the old movies were perfect.

The first one suffered from some special effect failures, like when Slimer was circling around the chandelier, it was a spraypainted packing peanut. The scenes with the Terror dogs being an obvious greenscreen effect, though that can work in their favor because they're not from the dimension in-universe.

The second one tried to play it safe by executives who brought in focus groups that tried to make it more like the cartoon and such. Which is a shame, as it can be argued that the second movie was darker, what with the bad guy trying to take over a baby.

(1) Robobuster was from the Cartoon and Ecto-X was from the NOW Comics version. Ecto-X looked quite goofy.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer : I do not own _Ah! My Goddess_ or _Ghostbusters._

-oOoOoOo-

Skuld sighed as she left the bathroom. Pausing to look back, Skuld mentally compared the rather spartan bathroom to the to the comfortable wooden soaking tub back at the temple.

' _Barely any room in that shower. Only enough for two people to stand_. _Whole room lacks the warmth that hot tub had,'_ Skuld thought as she headed downstairs. Just as she noticed the TV was off, she said, "I'm back. You better not have- URD! I was watching something!"

"And it ended a little before you left. Excellent timing, by the way. So how about a movie?" Urd asked as she balanced the remote on a finger.

"What movie?" Skuld warily asked, wondering if this Urd had the same tastes in sappy romance movies as her Urd did.

" _Back to the future._ Time travel movie," Urd answered, letting the remote fall into her other hand.

Closing her eyes, Skuld put her hands on her hips and shook her head. "You mortals have no idea what time travel really is. Heck, there's all sorts of precautions preventing gods and demons from doing it all willy-nilly. What makes you think mortals would be even allowed to?"

"C'mon. I bet you'll at least like the time machine," Urd replied as she turned on the TV.

"I doubt it, Urd…" Skuld grumbled as she sat down on the couch.

-o-

Within the bathrooms of a large office building, Several urinals and toilets were cobbled together in vague humanoid shapes cackled as proton streams hit them.

At least for a few moments until some of the urinals broke and the ghosts within them quickly dissipated into the air. Then the rest split into two groups. Half ran and the other growled before charging at the ghostbusting trio. At a nearby doorway was the property owner.

"I hate this! How can porcelain and Ghost energy even resist your ghostbusting streams?!" the building owner asked as Lind leaped to the side to avoid the charging porcelain golems and then firing at the porcelain backsides.

Joining Lind in firing, Belldandy explained," My guess is level five possessors who've just learned how to reinforce the porcelain shells!"

"But the downside is that there's only so much you can with the shell before running into problems like how far one can change the shell! Too much and one merges with the form!"," Dr. Irons added as three more golems broke apart. As she began to fire at a golem that had tripped when it tried to escape, she said, "And going by how the ghosts dissipate, either this was an all-or-nothing attack or like Bell said, their first time reinforcing matter with the downside of... "

"Too many roots and escape becomes impossible, "Lind muttered before she took out a P.K.E. Meter. In an unsurprised and annoyed tone, she grumbled, "Three left. How convenient..."

"So should we split up?" Belldandy asked as took out her P.K.E meter.

After a moment, Dr. Irons answered, "They are, and perhaps we should."

"And I vote no. Narrow hallways and ghosts in body armor are bad news!" Lind quickly said, gesturing in a worried way. "Especially when they're bigger than us!"

"They're larger than us, but those narrow hallways might work to our advantage. We just keep moving and turning corners, thus letting the walls do our work for us," Dr. Irons retorted.

"Or make it easier for us to be mashed…" Lind muttered. "But I see your point. I do have to ask one thing. Who's gonna protect the owner?"

"Can I pick?" The building owner as as they came near the trio.

"Sure," Belldandy answered.

The owner looked at all three before pointing at Belldandy. "You look like the kindest it'll be you!"

"Thank you, sir. I'll do my best!" Belldandy replied.

"With that out of the way,let's split up and smash some porcelain," Lind said before she left.

As she headed for a doorway, Dr. Irons stated, "Remember to keep the radios on. No telling what else might be here."

"That's… a good point…" Belldandy uttered as Dr. Irons left the room. Looking at the building owner, she asked, "Sir, when did the golems start appearing last night? Was there any unusual guest coming in?"

"I think around ten last night,since that was when I started hearing them move around. I chalked it to some customers moving their bed around. They only started smashing up the place when I came in an hour ago. which is surprising because everyone else who came in never had anything happen to them," The owner answered as they rubbed their head. "As for guests… Nobody really stood out… The kid! You guys need to save the kid! He's on the second floor, right next to the elevator!"

"Wouldn't their parents keep them safe,sir?" Belldandy asked as she got ready to push a button on her radio.

"The kid said they had no parents, but I think they were a runaway. It was getting late, so I decided to let them stay the night. Kid was awfully pale though, and refuse to take off their sunglasses," The owner answered.

A thought ran through Belldandy's head,making her frown. Pressing a button on her radio, Belldandy walked as she said. "Hey guys. Second floor, room next to the elevator. Some kid is there by themselves, but it might be a possible BEK or another case of possession. Ready the mini-slimeblowers."

" _On it,"_ Dr. Irons chirped over the radio.

" _Hey, if it is a possession case, then I vote for the most inhumane experiment done on the ghost later, Skuld,"_ Lind uttered.

" _Vote noted,"_ Dr. Irons replied.

"BEK?" The owner asked as they followed after Belldandy.

"Short for Black Eyed Kid. Paranormal creature that looks just like a human child, but its eyes are pure black and the skin tends to be a bit pale. They're malicious entities that can only harm or kill you if you travel late at night or if you invite them in. Kinda like certain breeds of vampires in a way,"Belldandy explained, looking annoyed.

"You're saying… that I'm responsible?!" The owner asked, getting angry.

"Not at all. You merely were the target of the BEK because you have a kind heart." Belldandy answered. With a smirk, "So we're gonna stuff the little rat in a tiny box and shove them in the containment unit. That'll learn'em."

The owner opened up their mouth to say something, but another toilet golem appeared. Belldandy cried out, "Stay with me, sir!"

Pressing a button on the Neutrona Wand, Belldandy shot out a few large orange blasts, forcing the golem back. This caused the Proton pack to overheat a little, preventing Belldandy from firing. When the golem recovered enough to continue its way towards Belldandy, the pack cooled down enough for Belldandy to fire again. So she pressed a switch, putting the proton pack into capture mode and aimed at the golem's head. It didn't take long before the proton stream to snatch the golem's head from its body, thus causing the ghost to dissipate.

"What was that and why didn't you do that earlier?" The owner asked, trembling a little from fear and anger.

"I fired something we in the business call 'Boson darts'. As for why, numbers, sir. They outnumbered us then," Belldandy explained before she pressed the radio once more. "Got another golem."

" _Think I'm near one. It's either in the kitchen looking for food or making itself bigger,"_ Lind answered.

"Great. A potty mouth, knife fingers, and a child involved. If Urd were here, she'd make some reference to-" Belldandy sarcastically began before Lind interrupted her.

" _Let's not fill in the void, Bell,"_ Lind quickly said. After a few moments, there was a roar and the sounds of the Neutrona Wand firing boson darts on the radio.

-o-

In the kitchen, Lind was blasting away at another golem. Like Belldandy had joked, it had knife fingers and its mouth was a toilet, with cooking pots acting like over-sized ears. However, the additional parts seemed to weaken its defense, as more parts fell off of it with each blast, compared to the one Belldandy took down.

"Dammit! Why is it always Urd or Bell that invites stuff like this?!" Lind exclaimed as her proton pack cooled down and the golem began to recover. Like how Belldandy handled her golem, Lind switched to a capture stream and ripped the head off the golem. The ghost vaporized even faster than the other ones.

"Another golem down. Need any help, Skuld?" Lind asked.

" _Readings from the child's room are higher than I thought. High class five or low class six. I'd like help if you can,"_ Dr. Irons stated.

"So it is the big bad ghost boss. On my way," Lind said before she headed towards an elevator.

" _Acknowledged. Will wait five minutes for you,"_ Dr. Irons replied.

It took Lind slightly longer than the stated time. As she was catching her breath, Lind asked, "So who's gonna do guard duty?"

"Depends on if you feel comfortable blasting something that's either taking the form of a child or is possessing one," Dr. Irons asked back as she and Lind pressed the switch on their neutrona wands for the mini-slimeblowers. A small tube containing green slime slightly rose up on their packs.

Lind grimaced for a moment before she said, "I'll keep watch, but call if you need help."

"Thanks, Lind," replied before she opened the door and walked in.

Sitting on the bed and facing away from the entrance was a male pre-teen about twelve years old. From what Dr. Irons could see, the pre-teen's hair was pretty dark and what little skin could be seen was quite pale. Checking the P.K.E. meter, she saw that there was a strong paranormal presence from the pre-teen.

After putting away the meter, Dr. irons fired the mini-slimeblower. As she hit the pre-teen in the back, he yelled as he dived out of view, "You damn bitch! Have you no sense of fair play?"

"That went out the window when the toilets began attacking people," Dr. Irons answered, still firing the slime blower until it auto-shut off to recharge its slime.

Getting no answer, Dr. Irons slowly made her away to the other side of the room, giving the bed a wide berth and keeping her neutrona wand aimed towards where she last saw the pre-teen. When she was within viewing distance of his landing site, she saw shoes slip under the bed.

As she got on her knees, the pre-teen said, "Always did like a woman on her- BLAGH!"

Dr. Irons smirked as her mini-slimeblower prevented the pre-teen from finishing his sentence.

After she had to stop to let the Mini-slimeblower recharge. Dr. Irons took a few steps back, accurately predicting that the Black Eyed Kid would crawl out and attempt to attack her.

"You damn bitch! That HURT!" The Black Eyed Kid yelled as they slowly stood up, their face and body either looking burnt or melted.

"You've shown the intent to harm the owner of this building and all within it with the gang of ghosts you seem to command. My associates and I have a way to deal with entities like you, "Dr. Irons said before pressing the switch to change back to the proton stream and fired.

As the Black Eyed Kid screamed from being held by the proton stream, there was the sound of porcelain being smashed outside. Dr. Irons threw the ghost trap near the Black Eyed Kid and aimed the neutrona wand in the direction of it. As the Black Eyed Kid was being sucked into the trap, it yelled, "I'll get out of here, you bitch, and when I do, I'll-"

After a few moments, Dr. Irons walked over and picked up the trap. As she headed towards the door, she called out, " Lind, you alright?"

"Yup. Smashed another golem. How many you think are left?" Lind answered as she opened the door.

Pulling out the P.K.E. meter, Dr. Irons studied it for a few moments, "There's one left, though it may simply dissipate, since the BEK is trapped."

"Bit odd that the brat is part of a gang. Didn't you say that they're either loners or only work with other BEK?" Lind asked as the two ghostbusters were heading where the P.K.E. indicated the last golem was.

"Normally, but desperation has a habit of changing things," Dr. Irons answered.

"Can't argue with that. I'll call Bell and let her know that the gang is without its head," Lind said before she pressed the radio button.

-oOoOoOo-

Notes from hotelkatz:

elgordo was the betareader for this chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer : I do not own _Ah! My Goddess_ or _Ghostbusters._

-oOoOoOo-

As the credits rolled, Urd looked over at Skuld. The young goddess looked seethingly mad.

"Skuld?" Urd asked.

That set off the powder keg known as Skuld's temperament.

"Time travel doesn't work that way! I am the Norn of the future! My sisters and I know better than anyone about time travel!" Skuld yelled as she thrashed her arms and legs about. "There are laws, treaties, and procedures that gods and demons have to follow when dealing with time travel that prevents just anyone from doing it!"

"Okay… Letting you watch this movie was a bit of a mistake, but it's a Hollywood movie. Expecting accuracy is kinda pointless, Skuld. Besides, I bet no god ever thought of letting us mortals know about these laws and treaties, eh?" Urd asked with a smirk.

Almost instantly, Skuld's temper deflated. "Well…"

"Hey, don't apologize. You should see what Hollywood does with our own history. Time travel comes off pretty light in comparison," Urd interrupted with a dismissive handwave. "Besides, the word of those that worked on the film said that in-film, there was an time-governing entity that manipulated events to happen the way they did."

Skuld began to chuckle a little as she said, "No self-respecting Norn would ever-"

When Skuld clammed up and looked like she just tasted something sour, Urd raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's gotten into you? Oh… Or did you just think of someone who'd do something like what I'd say?"

Before Skuld could say anything, Peorth said without looking at the two, "And I bet it's her Urd, since you're both the type to do something irresponsible, just for fun."

Skuld smirked, but before she could say something, Urd said, "Sounds about right."

Skuld stared at Urd with a expression of disbelief, making the latter ask, "What? The first step to fixing a problem is admitting you have one."

"But another step is taking measures to deal with it," Peorth commented, getting a slight glare from Urd.

"I'll get around to that… eventually, peanut gallery," Urd replied before she looked at Skuld. "You said you were from Japan, right? The last _Back to the Future_ ride is in Japan, at least in this dimension. I wonder if the same is in yours?"

"I don't know…" Skuld muttered. "And I'm not really sure if I care."

Leaning back, Urd replied, "I've been on it. You're better off getting some DVD with the ride video and some device that'll rock your chair in time with the camera shakes. I bet you could whip up something like that in your sleep, kid."

With a smirk and her hands on her hips, Skuld haughtily said, "I sure could, but don't call me kid!"

After a few moments, Urd said, "Alright, you look like you're fifteen now. Better eat some ice cream…"

Producing a mirror, Skuld studied herself for a moment before she silently panicked. "Ice cream! I need ice cream!"

"Got it!" Peorth muttered as she put a two gallon container of ice cream on the desk.

As Skuld snatched it up and returned to the couch, Urd asked, "Where'd you get that much Ice cream… and how much?"

"I know a guy," Peorth answered with a smirk. "And I got it and some more in return for giving him a discount on his bill for when you busted some ghosts at his factory."

Urd stared at Peorth with an unreadable expression for a moment before looking at Skuld and asking, "So what'd you think of the Delorean and the ice cream?"

Taking a moment away from gobbling the ice cream, Skuld answered, "It was the best part of the movie. Ice cream's passable."

"Hey, after certain size, quality tends to go down," Peorth replied as she went back to her terminal.

Not wanting to contemplate such things like bad ice cream, Skuld reluctantly asked, "Urd, what's one of the more annoying… ghosts you've had to deal with?"

Urd thought for a few moments before she remembered one. Looking up at the ceiling, she said "Well, we did have to deal with a four-eyed cat that appeared in New York one day that sank any ship that it wanted to, especially fishing boats. I think it was from England, though. Luckily, we cornered it on a beached boat, but it began to summon a real nasty storm and Irons was worried that our packs might somehow make the frame of the boat attract lightning. We caught the tabby and it turns out the cat was the spirit of some chick who was ticked off that her boyfriend chose to work, than play with her. To make matters worse, she had stolen him from some other broad for no real reason… except maybe spite or something."

Skuld thought about it for a few moments before she said, "That sounds really lame."

"Kinda. From what I can remember Doc Irons telling us, the Brits dealt with the tabby by not really letting any woman aboard a fishing vessel and tossing a few fish off the ship for the cat," Urd replied. "We still aren't sure how the fur bag got here. Irons thought someone managed to lure it here and Bell thinks it just wanted a change of scenery. I think it might've had its eye on another fisherman, but no one is willing to free the cat to ask."

"And Lind?" Skuld asked.

"She thought we either caught a fake or a fragment that was sent to scout out New York," Urd answered.

The phone rang and Peorth answered it. "You've reached the Ghostbusters."

"..."

"I'll let the Ghostbusters know. Is this something urgent?"

"..."

"Alright, They'll check her out in two days. Goodbye," Peorth said before she hung up.

"So what'd they want?" Urd asked.

"They think their girlfriend is Baba Yaga, but honestly speaking, I think it's probably an impostor or the guy is delusional. New York is way out of her usual territory and choosing the form of a busty blonde gold digger really doesn't seem like Baba Yaga's thing. But there's always the very slim chance she might do it for variety's' sake… or possibly revenge against someone's descendant," Peorth replied. (1)

"Huh… You better watch out, Skuld. Old Baba Yaga has a thing for the flesh of the kiddies," Urd said with a smirk towards Skuld.

"Urd!" Skuld growled as she slammed the ice cream down on a table and reached into her blouse, pulling out a Skuld bomb.

"Woah, woah, woah! When did a little teasing deserve explosions?!" Urd quickly uttered as she leapt from the couch and put her hands up in a placating way. She was still smiling, but it was a nervous smile.

It took Skuld a moment to remember she was dealing with a human that looked like Urd. "I...I need some time to myself."

As Skuld ran upstairs, The two humans watched her. Urd was the first one to speak. "Huh… Touchy. I didn't think my joke went too far. What d'you think?"

"Going by Skuld's situation and her reaction, you kinda did," Peorth answered with a brief glare.

Urd sighed as she sat down and ran her hands through her hair. "I'll make it up to her. A trip to an ice cream shop and the arcade?"

"Ask Bell or Irons. Betcha she's a techhead. Now leave me alone," Peorth quickly answered.

"Right... " Urd muttered as she looked upwards at the ceiling. "Think I know a guy in Jersey who'll let me pick anything outta a junkyard for two bucks. Maybe the little squirt will enjoy it."

-o-

After getting onto the roof, Skuld leaned against a railing and continued to scarf down her ice cream.

"Urudo no BAKA! Both of them! This Urd for not being my Urd and my Urd for knowing how to get me mad…." Skuld grumbled between spoonfuls. "... I miss Oneesama. I miss Keiichi. I even miss Urd. I wanna go home."

"Need help? I provide!" A raspy voice hissed.

Looking around, Skuld saw that on the railing on the other side of the roof was someone in a trenchcoat and fedora. They looked like a slimy toad. The goddess asked, "Who are you? What are you?"

"A friend! a friend!" The Grundle answered. ' _Too strong with strange energy. Make bad Grundle or no Grundle at all. Know better use.'_

"I don't believe you. What are you here for?" Skuld asked as she put her spoon in the ice cream and inwardly debated about what Skuldbomb to use.

"Help free friend ghouls. Bad humans trap them like ghosts because greedy humans barged into homes," The Grundle answered. Waving a finger, it added, "Can see you not from here. You trapped?"

Skuld nodded a little. The Grundle added, "When friends freed, we can open portal to send home.'

A part of Skuld wanted to trust her human counterparts and their technology, but a larger part knew that magic was easier to use for traveling dimensions. "How? My home is nowhere near this dimension."

"Have ways. Many ways," The Grundle replied. Holding out a hand, it said, "Invite me in and I help…"

Staring at the entity in front of her with a mix of concern, distrust, and a strong urge to go home, Skuld asked, "Do you promise to not harm anybody. not even letting your friends harm anyone?"

"Promise. Give word," The grundle lied as it shook its arm a little.

With her distrust of the thing in front of her and her urge to go home warring with each other, Skuld said, "I'll think about it. Come back at night and I'll give you my answer."

"Will do. Will do," The Grundle replied before it hopped away.

As she grabbed the carton of ice cream and headed back inside, Skuld said to herself, "I worked with Mara to capture Urd's demon half. This is about the same…. Be-besides, technology here isn't enough to breach dimensions..."

Little by little, the feeling that she was making a mistake began to gnaw at her...

-o-

At the boardwalk, the ghostbusting trio were blasting away at a flying ghost turtle. Their proton streams were having no effect once the turtle retreated into its shell and was spinning around.

"Guess we should be thankful that Urd isn't here," Lind muttered as she and the others ceased firing for the moment.

"Why's that?" Dr. Irons asked as she and the others followed after the ghost turtle as it tried to fly away.

"She'd make a reference to Gamera. And with our luck, She'd make the 'friend to all children' comment," Belldandy answered.

"You watched them?" Dr. Irons asked with disbelief.

"Some of them were listed as horror movies," Belldandy answered as the ghost turtle slowly flew down and landed on the ground.

"How were they?" Dr. Irons asked as she and Belldandy opened fire again, once the turtle stuck its head out..

As the ghost turtle shrieked in pain, Bellandy answered, "Mixed bag."

"So Godzilla or Gamera?" Lind asked with a smirk as she switched her pack to the Cryo blaster setting and fired. The ghost turtle began to freeze wherever the proton streams weren't hitting.

"Neither. I'm more of a Mothra girl," Belldandy answered with a smirk back. "Mostly because of the songs that the priestesses do."

The ghost turtle was soon trapped afterwards.

"Thanks, ladies! So what do I owe you?" Someone said as they came out of hiding.

"Well, as the contract you signed states, the on-site inspection fee is five hundred dollars, the capture fee for a single spectral entity is four thousand dollars, and the one-time containment free is fifteen thousand dollars," Dr. Irons answered as she held out her copy of the contract and pointed out the part she was talking out.

"... The things I do to keep my business running," The owner muttered as they brought out their checkbook and began writing.

-oOoOoOo-

Notes from hotelkatz:

Elgordo of the Goddess relief forums was the betareader

I'd expand more on my thoughts on the reboot movie, but.. What's there to say?

The first movie had a review that said it was like a well-timed joke.

My thoughts on the reboot are that it will be like a 'Me-too' joke. Mimics the formula, but has various bits changed to be 'scarier', 'funnier', and 'hipper'. But comes off as sad, lame, and full of 'And-uh-uh' filler bits.

I don't blame the actors, though. I blame the director and the producers, who see all criticism as sexist and racist, regardless of if it is or not.

From this point on, I won't talk about the reboot movie. Instead, I'll merely do things like 'see this ghostbusters fan film' or 'go play the _Ghostbusters international_ with a few friends and make a few props', or even 'Play the board game, it'll have a sequel out next year.'

The thing about Baba Yaga taking up a habit of being a busty blonde gold digger in NY was from the _Ghostbusters International_ supplement _Tobin's spirit guide_. As for what _Ghostbusters International_ is… _Dungeons and Dragons_ , but more of a focus on Humor than storytelling. I like the _Tobin's spirit guide_ for its woodcut art style.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer : I do not own _Ah! My Goddess_ or _Ghostbusters._

-oOoOoOo-

When Skuld came back down from the roof, she was surprised to see that Urd was in the bedroom. She was setting up another bed, but stopped and looked back when the stairs creaked under Skuld's footsteps. Urd smiled, causing the goddess to worry… until the goddess remembered that this was not her Urd and the smile wasn't a mischievous one… Well somewhat. It was mostly concern, with a small dash of mischief.

"Since I realized that you might be here awhile, I decided to give you some warning about the Big Apple," Urd said as Skuld leaned against the stairwell. Seeing Skuld's confused expression, Urd sighed before she explained. "New York City's nickname is the Big Apple. As for the warnings, they're pretty easy to remember. You know what a taxi is, right?"

Skuld nodded.

"Well, avoid unmarked cabs and tip the marked cab drivers. Avoid seedy neighborhoods, especially at night. Don't use ouija boards. Don't take candy from strangers and avoid getting into debates about sports. That last one is because you'll probably be mocked for being a girl…" Urd said before adding, "And mind your temper, especially since you're packing bombs. Also, don't mention or show _anyone_ that you have said bombs. We have enough trouble with the cops as it is."

"So how else can I protect myself, then?" Skuld asked, looking annoyed.

"Kick'em between the legs. Man, woman, or ghost, all fall when hit there," Urd answered with a smirk.

"Urd! You better not be teaching Skuld how to fight dirty!" Peorth's voice cried out.

Urd walked over to the firepole and sarcastically yelled back, "Yes, mommy!"

"But… isn't kicking someone between the legs fighting dirty?" Skuld asked.

"Oh, it totally is. Not the dirtiest, but you don't look like the type to learn how to fight hand-to-hand, unless forced to. But in all honesty, you're better off running away and into a crowd," Urd said as she walked over to Skuld. "So… Any interest in spores, molds, or funguses?"

Skuld's nose crinkled as she made a disgusted face. "Eugh! no! That's more of my Urd's territory for her dumb potions!"

Urd chuckled for a moment. "Potions, eh? You two work on any project together? Y'know, one makes the machine and the other makes the fuel?"

Skuld paused as she thought about it. "...No, but it does sound like fun, I guess. The problem is that her potions only work half the time."

Taking a moment to playfully mess up Skuld's hair, Urd said, "Well, kiddo. That's something you'll be able to talk over with your Urd. While I don't have much interest in mixing liquids outside of drinks, I once was able to make an upgrade to the neutrona wands! One that allowed it to really put the hurt on a sea god!...Although it fell apart the moment everything was over."

Quickly running her hands through her hair to straighten it, Skuld chuckled and smirked at Urd, in a way that annoyed Urd. "Well, your equipment can't be that hard to figure out, if someone as immature as you was able to make a temporary upgrade for it."

"Hey, I resemble that remark, shortstuff," Urd replied with a slightly strained smirk. "So your punishment will be to help me set up your bed, since you probably will be here for the night."

"Do I have to?" Skuld whined.

"Hey, I don't like work either, but Bell will get on my case later, if she has to put the bed together after they get back," Urd said. She bent down and lifted the frame. "I'll hold it and you tighten it. Then we'll check to see what mattress you'll use."

As Skuld grabbed a wrench and began to tighten the bolts, she asked, "So what materials did you use for your 'upgrade'?"

"A heat lamp, a car engine, and some stuff I grabbed out of Irons's Wunderkammer," Urd answered. "Hey, did Peorth show you around the Firehouse?"

"Other than the basement, not really," Skuld answered.

"Ah, then I have the fun job. Betcha you'll like the haunted wooden chair," Urd said. When Skuld looked up with a scared expression, Urd said, "Relax. A demon was sealed inside of it and makes fart noises whenever someone sits on the chair. That's all it does. It's right by the lockers, if you wanna see it."

Skuld looked disgusted before she went over to the other side of the bed frame and tightened the bolts over there.

"Well, if that's not your thing, there's also that gold mask near the bathroom door. Get close enough and it'll give you advice. Don't listen to it, though. It's always the worst advice possible," Urd added.

Skuld paused. "Why do you even have that?"

"Dunno. Ask Irons or Bell. My guess is that if they get the advice to continue something, then they know they're on the wrong track," Urd said. "You got it done yet?"

"Yes, but I'm not certain I should stay here…" Skuld muttered as Urd put down the bed frame.

"Why is it because we keep all sorts of possessed objects, while we keep a ghost prison in the basement?" Urd asked. She chuckled when Skuld rapidly nodded. "True, it is dangerous, but we got all sorts of tech to deal with it. So for mattresses. Spring or memory foam?"

-o-

Some time later, Urd and Skuld walked back down.

"So We got another movie up. Ever hear of _Manos, hands of fate_?" Urd asked. When Skuld shook her head, Urd said with a smirk, "Then you'll agree with Joel and the bots as we watch it."

"I'm just glad you don't have any possessed machines," Skuld muttered.

"Does a phone, a toy Ecto-1, a lamp, a microwave, a clock, and a toaster count?" Urd asked. When Skuld stopped and looked back in horror, Urd added, "All they do is turn themselves on and off and move. Except the phone. It supposedly calls Asmodeus's hotline. All I ever got was a busy signal, though."

Skuld's horror quickly turned to annoyed disgust before she went to the couch.

"She wasn't kidding about the phone. Personally, I think the fact we catch ghosts put on a bit of a blacklist for making deals with demons. Probably to prevent us from summoning them and catching them," Peorth said before the phone rang. She picked it up and said, "Ghostbusters. we're ready to believe you."

"..."

"Listen here, punk. We catch ghosts. We don't run a supernatural brothel. You call us one more time for something like this and we will sue you!" Peorth said, sounding clearly annoyed. Then she said a phone number before hanging up.

"Who was it?" Urd asked as she sat down.

"Some dumb teenager, wanting us to give them a succubus. Thank goodness for caller ID," Peorth answered.

"If you know their number, why pick it up?" Skuld asked.

"With the rise in Ghost incidents and an upcoming contract with the city, we can't afford to," Urd answered. The slight shift in her tone let Skuld know that she was both serious and a bit weary. "We're thinking about hiring more help. And no, we can't hire you. You look about 12 years old. There's laws about it, especially with dealing with dangerous machinery."

Skuld slumped and muttered, "Let's just watch the TV…"

-oOo-

In an warehouse with poor lightning, Belldandy, Dr. Irons, and Lind were looking around.

"So… remind me again of what you saw. A ghost of a space alien haunts this place?" Lind asked.

"Either that or an actor that got lost in the role enough times that it was the only thing their ghost could form as," Belldandy answered. "I just wish they looked like something else than than a skeleton with a big visible brain and going "Ack-ack! Ack! Ack! Ack!"

"You'd prefer Marvin the Martian?" Lind asked with a smirk. Belldandy smiled back as she nodded.

"Incoming bogy. Three o'clock high," Dr. Irons said. All three aimed their neutrona wands and hit the Martian ghost when it appeared. Aside from its head looking like hybrid of a skull and a brain, it was wearing a spandex suit that covered all but its head. Speaking of it, its head was in what appeared to be an oversized fishbowl. The ghost held what appeared to be a toy ray gun. All of which had a 50's feel to it.

"Aaaaccckkkk!" The brainy spector screeched, waving its arms about. It tried to fire at its raygun at the trio, but all it did was hit wooden boxes. The blast left burn marks, but not any fire.

"Readying the trap!" Lind called out as she tossed the trap out. However, the ghost curled up in a ball and began to glow for a few moments. It quickly uncurled, letting out a bright pulse that forced the trio to cover their stopped firing when the 'Ack!' sound began to fade.

"Everyone alright? No one harmed?" Belldandy asked as her sight returned.

"Only my pride," Lind muttered as she and Dr. Irons brought out her P.K.E. meter.

"Other than my sight, I'm fine. Didn't think it have something like that. From my calculations, such a burst did weaken it a little, so we can expect it to do it again a few more times," Dr. Irons answered before she pressed a button on the P.K.E. meter. "It's still moving. It appears to be circling around us."

"Places, people," Lind said. Belldandy and Dr. Irons nodded before they went into a circle, facing outward.

When the ghost reappeared, Belldandy fired upon it. Lind was about to help her, until Dr. Irons quickly uttered, "Wait until it does its blinding thing!"

"Ack-ack-ack!" The ghost cried out as it struggled against the Proton stream. While Belldandy drew it closer to the trap, the ghost seemed to debate about doing its blinding ability. When the trap opened, The ghost decided to pull off the attack.

"Now!" Dr. Irons cried out as she and Lind spun around and fired upon the ghost. Belldandy stopped firing and waited for her sight to return.

It didn't take long for the ghost to get sucked into the trap.

"So any more?" Lind asked as she slowly made her way to the trap.

Checking the P.K.E. Meter, answered, "None active enough to be detected."

"Kinda wished I had a stereo with me. Then I coulda played Slim Whitman's Indian Love Call and then we'd have a real sight," Belldandy muttered as the trio headed off to find the warehouse's owner.

-o-

As Lind drove the Ecto-1, Belldandy and Dr. Irons decided to pass the time by theorizing.

"So let's say that a divine being like Skuld gets into a relationship with a human mortal. What race would the offspring belong to?" Dr. Irons asked.

"Well, off the bat, I'd say a demigod, but that's only if the form the divine being takes is still the divine being," Belldandy answered as she rubbed her chin.

"That is a good point. Is the mortal form that the divine being takes what they would look like as a human or a decorated shell that they merely like to wear, like certain shirts we wear?" Dr. Irons replied, wiggling a finger. "So, if the shell is merely decoration, does that mean progeny is not possible from such a union?"

"Let's stick with 'yes' for the moment. So what if the shell gets pregnant? Is the child a D.N.A. mix of both parents or a genetic clone of the mortal parent?" Belldandy asked.

"I understand the former, but tell me about the latter," Dr. Irons said as they picked up a clipboard and began to write.

"Well, I'm assuming that the divine being wants to grant the wish of their partner to have a child, but isn't allowed to put in their own D.N.A. because someone higher than them said no. So they use their partner's D.N.A. to create a child," Belldandy explained.

"What about a mortal clone of the divine parent?" Dr. Irons asked as they wrote. "Or are you assuming that they wouldn't do something like that?"

"It probably depends on the divine parent. Some might be willing to create such a clone, some won't," Belldandy answered.

"If either of you decide to get Skuld a date to test your theories, Imma gonna break your legs and I know at least three different ways," Lind said, the slight tremble in her voice was a sign that she was losing her temper.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Belldandy answered, not wanting to anger the person who kept a M249 light machine gun in the Ecto-1 for "emergencies."

"Do you take us for monsters when science is involved?" Dr. Irons asked.

"I heard you tried to drill a hole in your head for science, Skuld! What were you going to do, hook the internet up to your brain?!" Lind asked as she turned Ecto-1 slightly too rough.

"The internet is far removed from its days of sharing scientific information. It's too bogged down with Pornography," Dr. Irons quickly replied. "As for why, I wanted to test John Lilly's theory."

"That being… ?" Lind asked, getting the feeling she didn't want to know the answer.

"To test some of my higher brain functions," Dr. Irons answered.

"Okay, was that during a sugar high or when you'd forgotten to eat?" Lind asked. Before Dr. Irons could answer, Lind said, "Never mind. I know I won't like the answer."

-oOoOoOo-

Notes from HotelKatz:

Can't believe I forgot to put this up. I sat on this and chapter 7 for more than a year, thinking I posted it.

Elgordo was the beta reader of this chapter.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer : I do not own _Ah! My Goddess_ or _Ghostbusters_.

-oOoOoOo-

The Ecto-1 rolled in as Skuld loudly said, "That movie was painful to watch!"

"...Yeah, but at least the commentary made up for it," Urd replied.

""No, it didn't! Not one bit!" Skuld retorted with a glare.

"Well, most movies on MST3K are bad ones. It's the name of the game… and mostly because the rights were cheap," Urd said with a shrug as the trio emerged from the Ecto-1. She looked at them as she asked, "So anything unusual? Aside from our daily routine."

"One ghost managed to thwart off the proton stream by spinning. I'll have to run some tests to see if it was due to the ghost's makeup or if any one of them can reproduce it," Dr. Irons said as she went to pick up the traps.

"So if the Tasmanian devil has a ghost, we might not be able to catch'em. Good to know," Urd muttered as she went back to the TV. "You in the mood for one of the Star Trek movies, Skuld?"

Skuld cheered up upon hearing that.

-o-

 _Some hours later, after dinner…_

"Bit more greasy than I cared for.." Skuld muttered as she followed the others upstairs.

"Well, we can't always take our time making a fantastic meal, since we're always on-call," Urd remarked. "So any differences between your dimension's Star Trek and ours? Ricardo Montalban still a sexy man?"

As Skuld headed to the bed, she answered, "It honestly seems like nothing was all that different. Sure, a few effects had slightly different colors, but nothing more to speak about."

"Sweet dreams, Skuld," Belldandy said before she fell to her bed and passed out.

A feeling of ' _these aren't my family'_ ran threw Skuld as she thought, ' _Now I just got to wait…'_

"What's the matter, need a bedtime story?" Urd asked. Skuld's answer was to throw her pillow. Tossing the pillow back, Urd said, "Oh-ho! Up for a pillow fight?"

"Go to sleep, you two! Are you an adult and a goddess or a bunch of children?" Lind cried out.

"Spoilsport…" Urd at Skuld, she added, "Maybe tomorrow?"

Skuld merely laid down and faced away from Urd, who merely shrugged in response. As she laid down, Urd said, "There might be an alarm during the night. Ghost don't sleep, after all."

"Technically, they do. Since ghosts are a type of energy don't normally consume food as we know it, they need more rest than humans do and-" Dr. Irons began before Urd began snoring. Dr. Irons glared at Urd before going to sleep herself.

About an hour later, Skuld sat up and looked around. From what she observed, the humans were asleep. So she left the room and headed to the roof. The Grundle was waiting here.

"Invite me in invite me in. Cannot enter without an invite. That is the rules," The Grundel said.

"Please… enter," Skuld said, feeling like her skin was crawling.

As the trenchcoat-wearing green thing entered the stairwell, it uttered, "Where is ghostfriends?"

"Basement," Skuld answered, leading the Grundel down to the containment unit. When it passed by the door to the bedroom, it sneered.

When the two entered the basement, a hidden scanner detected the Grundel and set off a silent alarm that woke up the four adults.

"Ghost in the basement! Move!" Dr. Irons said as she hopped out of her bed and slid down the firepole. The others followed suit, but not before Urd noticed Skuld was missing.

As the others grabbed their proton packs, Urd asked, "Anyone know where the wittlest wrench wench went?"

"I bet she's the one trying to open the containment unit!" Lind cried out before she, Belldandy, and Dr. Irons ran for the basement. Urd followed after them, hoping that Skuld was doing something that Dr. Irons often did, performing an experiment that set off the alarm.

Skuld barely touched the containment unit before the door slammed open and the four adults appeared.

"I knew she was nothing but trouble! She even brought a friend!" Lind cried out as she aimed the neutrona wand at the grundle.

"Hold it! you might hit the Containment unit!" Dr. Irons said, raising her hand.

"And that's a Grundel! Skuld! Get away from it!" Belldandy cried out. The horror in her voice caused Skuld to look at the Grundel in shock.

As Skuld began to take a step back, Urd asked in a flat tone, "Alright, what's a Grundel and how badly will I have to fry it?"

"It preys on children, tempting them to do bad deeds in order to turn them into more Grundels," Belldandy answered. Skuld stared at the Grundel in horror, before some anger began to fill her.

"Right. Ultra burnt toast level it is," Urd replied in a cold, angry tone. Before she could fire, Dr. Irons grabbed the neutrona wand. "Hey! I woulda hit only the-"

"It's still too close to the containment unit!" Dr. Irons spat out.

"Let me go!" Skuld cried out. The Grundle had grabbed her arm.

"Free the ghosts and i free you, child," The Grundel ordered, its voice threatening violence.

Deciding to try an old tactic, Urd yelled, "Hey, toadface! I betcha I can take you in a fight, blindfolded!"

When the Grundel didn't respond, Urd grabbed a nearby wrench and threw it. When it hit the Grundel, it looked at Urd and hissed. Skuld took the opportunity to grab an inkbomb from her subspace and throw it at the Grundel's face.

"Foolish brat!" The Grundel yelled as it let go of Skuld and tried to wipe away the ink.

Pulling the neutrona wand away from Dr. Irons, Urd ran towards the Grundel and punched the ghost away from the containment unit. Once It landed on the ground, the ghostbusters fired. As the grundel screamed, Urd loudly said, "Skuld, get a trap and throw it near lizard lips."

Skuld grabbed the nearest trap and threw it like Urd had said. She needed no instructions to step on the pad. The trap opened up and sucked up the Grundel.

Lind was the first to speak. "We're gonna need to talk about this, little girl!"

"What was boogerlips doing with you, near the containment unit?" Urd asked as she and the others put away their neutrona wands.

"It… It said it would help me back home, if I freed its friends…" Skuld answered, looking at the floor.

"Bit odd, since Grundels only work with other Grundels," Belldandy answered.

"Not unless it planned on using the chaos from an army of rampaging ghosts to offer protection to children," Dr. Irons added. Lind looked at her with a look of disgust. "What? It's merely one of many possibilities."

"What are some of the others?" Lind asked.

"Does it matter? The fact a Grundel aimed to open the containment unit proved it was one of the more dangerous ghosts. You know the old 'it can think' thing in movies," Urd interjected. "Anyhoo, we need to talk about something first. Could someone call Peorth?"

-o-

Peorth wasn't happy to be called back so soon, but relented when she heard the reason for it. So she came back and kept an eye on Skuld, while the team was in the basement.

"And why shouldn't we lock her up?" Lind asked as she glared at Urd.

"Well, she was tricked by a ghostly child predator, and she's in a strange land with strangers similar to those she cares about, but are different enough to remind her that she's a long way from home," Belldandy answered. "Besides, emotionally, she's a young teenager."

"I'd be grasping at straws too if I were in her place," Urd added.

"Irons, You've been silent ever since we locked up the Grundel. What are your thoughts?" Lind asked as she looked at Dr. Irons. The latter seemed more interested in the floor.

"Merely thinking about the aging process of 10th dimensional beings. Is it based on their mental maturity or do some merely age slower than others?" Dr. Irons said, refusing to look up. "According to what she's told Urd, she and her sisters are only a few years apart in age, but are centuries older than any of us. There's also that the realm she's from gave her a job of being an administrator. That's a lot of pressure to put on a child."

"So you think she's faking her age?" Lind asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"Perhaps, perhaps not. but I need more information about her biology. All I can suggest is that we keep a close eye on her," Dr. Irons answered.

"So…. Keep what we've been doing?" Urd asked.

"But not really giving her anymore privacy until we can trust her again," Belldandy said, looking a bit sad. "That's what your plan is now, isn't it?"

Dr. Irons nodded.

Lind looked conflicted. "We're taking this too lightly! We're dealing with someone who could grow up to be worse than Gozer! We need to-"

"Lind, stop!" Dr. Irons barked as she looked up and shot Lind a nasty glare. "You think I'm not taking this seriously? We're dealing with an entity whose 3rd dimensional appearance resembles mine at a younger age. By merely talking with her, she's proven to be better skilled at machines than I ever could and better at social situations than me. Do you think I'm not bothered by it?"

"That 'it' better be referring to the situation and not dehumanizing the brat," Urd muttered, shooting Dr. Irons a glare.

Dr. Irons looked over at Urd and said, "Yes, I'm referring to the situation. I think the Gozer incident is still fresh enough in our minds to keep us wary of gods and goddesses… At least for Lind and I."

Urd huffed, "Hey, I'm wary. I'm also wary of the fact that you antagonise something, it's liable to antagonise right back. Speaking of that, the shampoo you made really gets the slime out. Thanks."

Dr. Irons blushed as she said, "You're welcome."

"And another thing. You're interested in spores, molds, funguses. She's not. There's a number of differences between you, so don't worry about it," Urd said.

"But what about the rest of you? Aren't you bothered that there are superior versions of us existing? Ones that will live forever?" Dr. Irons asked.

"Not really. I merely have someone like me to aspire to," Belldandy said.

"If the Lord created someone strong to kick evil's butt, then I'm proud that I look like her," Lind added. After a moment, she said, "Though I can see your point. Knowing that that there really is someone better is far different than acknowledging the fact."

Urd shrugged. "Why should I care? When all's said and done, we'll probably never meet each other again. At least for a long time."

"Didn't we say that about the Peoplebusters?" Dr. Irons asked. "And we keep coming into contact with them every few years. And every time, they keep trying to capture us, thinking we're the bad guys."

"So what's the count on doppelgangers then?" Urd asked back getting annoyed. "Two?"

"Three, actually. There was the ones made from our old uniforms, the Peoplebusters, and those copycat ghosts who used our old uniforms and equipment to rob banks," Belldandy answered.

"Funny how two sets of Doppelgangers are Urd's fault for not properly disposing stuff," Lind muttered as she shot Urd a glare.

"Hey, maybe let me send out a interdimensional message and I might be able to get Skuld's sisters on the line," Urd replied with a disinterested tone.

-oOoOoOo-

Notes from HotelKatz:

Can't believe I forgot to put this up. I sat on this and chapter 6 for more than a year, thinking I posted it.

Elgordo was the beta reader of this chapter.


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